Car Insurance Guide
In the last few years car insurance premiums have rocketed, which is why it’s more important then ever to shop around for the best deal.
The car insurance market is a very competitive market so there are always special promotions and offers available as well as lots of other ways to beat your quote down.
Here is our 5 step guide to help you get the best quote.
Step 1 – Get quotes from the top 4 comparison sites
To find the cheapest price on insurance we recommend you go to each comparison site, the comparison sites can offer different prices and different providers so you should always try more than one.
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4 out of 5
Cheapest quote: £401.51
Time to complete form: 1.53 Mins
Companies compared: 90+
- Tips guide you through
- Nice design and layout
- Boring results page
- Takes a long time to search
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3 out of 5
Cheapest quote: £389.80
Time to complete form: 2.31 Mins
Companies compared: 120+
- Quote forms loaded fast
- Quote form is in two columns
- Compare up to 4 policies
- Quote form opens in new window
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4 out of 5
Cheapest quote: £386.96
Time to complete form: 1.48 Mins
Companies compared: 120+
- Can compare up to 5 policies
- Instant update when changing details
- Easy to go back and edit details
- Cheapest price
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2 out of 5
Cheapest quote: £449.74
Time to complete form: 2.13 Mins
Companies compared: 120+
- Easy to understand form
- Compare up to 4 policies
- Extra steps to show prices
- No way to stop a quote halfway through
The cheapest quotes are based on a 27 year old male web designer, who has held a full UK licence for 3 years and has 3 years no claims discounts and a £250 excess.
Step 2 – Get quotes from providers not on comparison sites
Some insurance providers are not on comparison sites. We recommend that you also get quotes from these providers so that you can get the best quote for your insurance. The insurance providers that are not on comparison sites are:
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- 4 out of 5
- Cheapest Quote: £489
- Get a Quote
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- 3 out of 5
- Cheapest Quote: £414
- Get a Quote
Also the Admiral multi-car deals are only available direct from Admiral.
Step 3 – Check for car insurance promotions
From time to time some car insurance providers also offer special promotions, like ’2 Months Free Car Insurance’ or ’1 Years Free Insurance when you buy a new car’. Sometimes these offers can work out better than finding the cheapest prices elsewhere, we have compiled a list of the current car insurance promotions available.
| Insurance Provider | Car insurance promotions | |
|---|---|---|
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70% No Claims Discount | Get a Quote |
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Prices start from £198, that’s all 10% of customers paid between 1st May 2012 – 31st Oct 2012 | Get a Quote |
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Up to 15% off for customers with a nectar card + a years cheaper fuel | Get a Quote |
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Free RAC breakdown cover with all policies bought via their website | Get a Quote |
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1000 nectar points when bought through the nectar website | Get a Quote |
Step 4 – Haggle to get the price down even further
A great way to make sure you are getting the cheapest quote for your car insurance is to haggle with your current provider close to your renewal date. Your current car insurance provider will normally send you a renewal quote, which you should then use as a baseline. Then use the comparison sites to find a cheaper quote and go back to your current provider to see if they can beat it, they almost certainly will.
If that fails, you should try going to another car insurance provider directly, even if they were not the cheapest on the comparison site. Call them direct and tell them the cheapest price you’ve been quoted. When done correctly, 90% of the time you will be offered a cheaper quote than you were originally offered. Please note that this doesn’t work as well for new drivers, but it is still definitely worth a shot.
Step 5 – Check for cashback opportunities
By this point you should have a reasonable quote which you’re probably more than willing to pay but don’t stop there! With a little more work you can get your quote down even more.
If you’re a regular online shopper then you should have already heard about cashback sites like Quidco. If you purchase your insurance though Quidco you will be looking at getting some nice cashback from them, currently the best offers on Quidco are:
| Insurance Company | Amount of Cashback | |
|---|---|---|
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£75 | Get A Quote |
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£65 | Get a Quote |
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£60 | Get a Quote |
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£54.50 | Get a Quote |
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£50 | Get a Quote |
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£43 | Get a Quote |
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£42.50 | Get a Quote |
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£42.50 | Get a Quote |
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£40 | Get a Quote |
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£40 | Get a Quote |
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25% | Get a Quote |
Before you take out a policy
Now you know all the tricks you should be able to get a much cheaper quote than before BUT before you purchase an insurance policy you should always:
- Make sure the insurance policy you’re signing up to offers the level of protection you need.
- If you are buying breakdown cover always check with your insurance provider, sometimes they offer it for free or discounted.
- The cheapest quote is not always the best quote, you should ask around to see if anyone you know has had any experience with the provider you intend to go with.
- Never take “we can’t” or “that is the lowest price” as an answer straight away, especially when renewing your policy. Car insurance is a very competitive market and companies will do a lot to retain customers.
- If you have multiple cars you should always take out a multi car policy.
Other Car Insurance Guides
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Multi Car Insurance
A guide to the benefits and best providers of Multi car insurance.
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Young Driver Insurance
A guide to combating the outrages premiums young drivers are stuck with.
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Insurance Tips And Tricks
A few more tips and tricks for you to help reduce your premiums even more.
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Motorcycle Insurance
A guide about motorcycle insurance, including providers and types of cover.